Saudi Arabia and Syria are reportedly intensifying their efforts to contain the crisis in Lebanon which worsened over the weekend after accusations exchanged between al-Mustaqbal and Hizbullah lawmakers. As Safir daily reported Monday that royal advisor Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah could visit Damascus soon to try to calm the situationand avoid strife.

On its part, the Saudi al-Watan newspaper also said that regional mediators could head to Beirut in the next few days to defuse the tension.

Meanwhile, local attempts to solve the crisis failed. An Nahar newspaper quoted ministerial sources as saying that attempts by President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Druze leader Walid Jumblat suffered a setback.